NOAA releases seafood traceability final rule

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today released a final rule that “establishes permitting, reporting and recordkeeping procedures relating to the importation of certain fish and fish products, identified as being at particular risk of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing or seafood fraud, in order to implement the [Magnuson-Stevenson Act’s] prohibition on the import and trade, in interstate or foreign commerce, of fish taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any foreign law or regulation or in contravention of a treaty or a binding conservation measure of a regional fishery organization to which the United States is a party.”

“Collection of catch and landing documentation for certain fish and fish products will be accomplished through the government-wide International Trade Data System by electronic submission of data through the Automated Commercial Environment maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection,” NOAA said.

–The Hagstrom Report